My Thoughts
Such a lovely blend of colors - red and blue and purple hues! I adore the sky, the stars at the top not only adding sparkle, but a sense of destiny. Kind of reminds me of Lisa Frank, appealing to childhood fantasies and beautiful imaginings. The circle in the middle continues the theme of previous covers in the series, while lending a sense of adventure through the portal. As for the clouds, one has to wonder - is it night or day on the other side of that portal? "Red skies at night, sailors delight. Red skies in morning, sailors take warning" - that sort of thing. The model displays a wonderful blend of delicate beauty and hidden strength. And the ocean scene makes me think of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis, certainly hinting at something epic to come. The font and title/name colors are the same as the ones used for The Goddess Tithe (the series' first novella), which is nice! The only thing I'm a bit skeptical of is the cat. He looks a bit too domesticated for a fantasy novel, at least in my mind. Nonetheless, he certainly provides an interesting contrast to all the wild elements around him, and overall, I think the cover is a fabulous addition to the series.
Question
Which cover is your favorite of the series? I think Shadow Hand is still mine, but I also love Starflower, Heartless, and Golden Daughter... They're all grand, aren't they?
About the Book
BEYOND THE REALM OF DREAMS
IS A WORLD SHE NEVER IMAGINED
Masayi Sairu was raised to be dainty, delicate, demure . . . and deadly. She is one of the emperor’s Golden Daughters, as much a legend as she is a commodity. One day, Sairu will be contracted in marriage to a patron, whom she will secretly guard for the rest of her life.
But when she learns that a sacred Dream Walker of the temple seeks the protection of a Golden Daughter, Sairu forgoes marriage in favor of this role. Her skills are stretched to the limit, for assassins hunt in the shadows, and phantoms haunt in dreams. With only a mysterious Faerie cat and a handsome slave—possessed of his own strange abilities—to help her, can Sairu shield her new mistress from evils she can neither see nor touch?
For the Dragon is building an army of fire. And soon the heavens will burn.
About the Author
Anne Elisabeth Stengl is the author of the award-winning Tales of Goldstone Wood series, adventure fantasies told in the classic Fairy Tale style. Her books include Christy Award-winning Heartless and Veiled Rose, and Clive Staples Award-winning Starflower. She makes her home in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she lives with her husband, Rohan, a passel of cats, and one long-suffering dog. When she's not writing, she enjoys Shakespeare, opera, and tea, and practices piano, painting, and pastry baking. She studied illustration and English literature at Grace College and Campbell University.
You can connect with her on her blog, Tales of Goldstone Wood (she's featuring an interview with her cover designer today!), as well as on Facebook.
Click the button above to visit the book's web page!
Giveaway!
Anne Elisabeth is giving away two books - winner's choice of any two of the first six books in the "Tales of Goldstone Wood" series! Enter via the Rafflecopter form below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
6 comments:
I agree, the cat isn't quite what I expected Eanrin to look like. No white breast and not quite so fluffy. But he still has a dignity about him.
Good point about the red sky, if you look at some of the cover precursors there's a dragon flying back there which is rather ominous. Unless that was before they switched the sides around...in which case the dragon was/is on the ocean side.
The kitty on the cover bears a great resemblance to Anne Elisabeth's own kitty, Monster. So much so, in fact, that I asked if it WAS her cat. But no, it just looks similar...just not so..."magnificent".
Hee, hee, well, we expect Eanrin to be well-groomed. I've pictured him a bit more faerie myself, but we all know how easy faerie cats are to come by. ;)
Rina,
Yeah...but that is true, that he still seems a little dignified! A common trait among cats, really. ;)
And great point about the dragon! I do see that on the "Cover Concepts" page. No matter which side it's on, the fact that there are dragons about is certainly ominous, right?
~Amber
Hannah,
That's so cute that the cat model matches Monster! How fun. :) Yep, perhaps not so magnificent, but still...
And why on earth aren't there faerie cat pictures on the stock photo sites?? One would think such images would be in high demand. ;)
~Amber
Wow--gorgeous cover! I'm behind on the series, but really, really want to catch up one these days.
Audrey,
It is! :) I love the colors!
I'm also a tad bit behind - gotta read Dragonwitch, Goddess Tithe, and Shadow Hand. Anne Elisabeth is a fabulous author, isn't she? Hope you get the chance to catch up soon! :)
~Amber
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